Produce container with flange locks



March v10, 1970 R'. "w. M CORMICK 3,499,596

I PRODUCE CONTAINER WITH FLANGE LOCKS I Filed Jan. 22, 1968 INVENTOR Robert W McCORMICK United States Patent 3,499,596 PRODUCE CONTAINER WITH FLANGE LOCKS Robert W. McCormick, Lake Worth, Fla., assignor to Union Camp Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Virginia Filed Jan. 22. 1968, Ser. No. 699,562 Int. Cl. B65d /26, 5/22 U.S. c1. 229 32 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to an improved shipping box and more particularly to an improved produce container which can be made without extraneous securing means from a unitary blank which is readily foldable to form a container.

It is common practice to ship fruit and other produce in what is termed wooden fruit lugs. This type of box has many disadvantages from the standpoint of both the shipper and the receiver. Quite often some of the produce squeezes out between the slats and becomes bruised and unsalable. Also, moisture can cause the binding wire to become rusty and make the box highly unsightly to the ultimate consumer or receiver. In addition, the slats often splinter to make the box unhealthy and a hazard to whomever handles the boxes. Another disadvantage is the cost of constructing the wood and wire boxes and the fact that they cannot be shipped in a flat condition when empty.

In order to eliminate some of these problems, experimentation has been conducted on high strength paperboard boxes. However, while eliminating some of the problems inherent in wood and wire boxes, other problems have developed. For instance, the paperboard boxes are usually held together by staples or other metal securing means and, quite often, the securing means oxidizes or rusts and becomes unsightly and a potential contamination threat to the products being shipped therein In addition, when mechanical or chemical securing means are used to hold the box in its assembled state, the box cannot be shipped or stored in a flat condition when empty.

In order to eliminate all of the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a paperboard box that can be assembled without the use of extraneous securing means and shipped in a flat, space-saving condition when empty. The improved box of this invention has a high wet strength, Wet rigidity and resistance to penetration by water and organic fluids.

The high resistance to water saturation or contamination of the present box is accomplished by coating and impregnating the components of the box with wax, in a manner known to those skilled in the art. The wax must be of a type and quality suitable for use in contact with edible products and should be applied with particular regard respecting its temperature, wax applicator control settings and point of application so as to assure board receptivity to thewax.

An important improvement of the present produce container is that the body of the box can be assembled without the use of mechanical or chemical securing means.

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This is accomplished by providing a plurality of interlocking elements which enable the container to be assembled or disassembled quickly and easily at any location.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved produce container.

Another object is to provide an improved container that can be assembled or disassembled entirely by hand without the utilization of extraneous securing means.

Another object is to provide a container that is held in its assembled condition by integral interlocking means.

Another object is to provide an improved produce container that has a high wet strength and rigidity.

Another object is to provide an improved produce container that can be shipped or stored in a flat condition when empty.

Another object is to provide an improved produce container that is economical to construct and of greatly reduced weight and complexity.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a full understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the assembled container;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of an intermediate step in the assembly of the container;

FIGURE} is a view along line 3-3 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the blank from which the body of the container is constructed.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIGURE 4 a flat, substantially rectangular blank 10 of sheet material, such as corrugated board or the like, of a weight suitable for the size and type of container to be constructed. The sheet material is impregnated and coated with a suitable wax or other liquid-resistant material in a manner Well known to those skilled in the art.

The blank 10 comprises a bottom 11 defined by score lines 12 and 13, a pair of sides 14 adjacent the score lines 12, a pair of ends 15 adjacent the score lines 13; a pair of end flaps 16 adjacent each of the ends 15 and connected thereto along score line 12; a continuous'ledge portion 17 connecting the end 15 and the end flaps 16 along the outer edge thereof; and a continuous colla'r flange 18 secured along the outer longitudinal edge of the ledge panel 17.

The end flaps 16 are separated from the sides 14 by cutouts 19 which extend from the intersection of the score lines 12 and 13 to the outer edges of blank 10. The cutout 19 has a notch 20 adjacent its outer end and serves as an indentation in the outer corner of'the side 14. A pair of locking slots 21 are located in the sides 14 extending from the outer edge of the side,"1 4 inwardly towards the score line 12. Each of the locking slots 21 diverge from the outer edge of each side 14 towards the adjacent intersection of score lines 12 and 13. The locking slots 21 are referred to as slots because of their Width which facilitates the assembly of the container. However, it 'will be understood that slits may be used in place of the slots 21. A substantially identical complementary locking slit 22 is located in the collar flange 18 adjacent each of the end flaps 16. The complementary locking slits 22 extend from the outer end edge of the collar flange 18 inwardly towards the ledge portion 17 at a divergent angle. The locking slots 21 and their nearest respective complementary locking slits 22 are positioned to coincide when the end flaps 16 are in juxtaposition to the sides 14 as shown in FIGURE 2. It will be noted that the locking slits 22 terminate at a point outward of the ledge portion 17 and that the score lines 12 extend the entire length of the blank 10, thereby dividing the ledge portion 17 and the collar flange 18 into three parts.

FIGURE 2 shows the blank in an intermediate step in assembly. It will be noted therefrom that the sides 14 are folded substantially perpendicular to the bottom 11 along score lines 12. The collar flange 18 is folded outwardly and downwardly substantially 180 about the ledge panel 17 so that the collar flange 18 lies in spaced juxtaposition to the end and the end flaps 16. The collar flange 18 is separated from the end 15 and the end flaps 16 by a space slightly greater than the thickness of the sheet material comprising the blank 10, the distance being established by the width of the ledge panel 17. The end flaps 16 are now folded upwardly substantially perpendicular to the ends 15 about the score lines 12. Completing the configuration the ends 15 are folded upwardly toward a substantially perpendicular position relative to the bottom 11 about the score lines 13 and the upper edges of the sides 14 are inserted in the space between the collar flange 18 and the outer surface of the end flaps 16. As the ends 15 approach perpendicularity the collar flange 18 is inserted through the locking slot 21 so that a portion of the outer surface of the collar flange 18 is in juxtaposition to the inner surfaces of the sides 14. The collar flange 18 is forced further into the locking slot 21 as the ends 15 come closer to a perpendicular position until the ends 15 are perpendicular at which point the locking slits 22 and the locking slots 21 are in complementary interlocking relationship as shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3.

When the locking slots 21 and slits 22 are in complementary interlocking relationship the inner surface of the ledge panel 17 is in overlying juxtaposition to a portion of the upper edge of the side 14. The cutouts in the sides 14 allow the sides 14 to enter the space between the collar flange 18 and the end flap 16 in a manner to enable the end 15 to be folded to a substantially perpendicular position without binding or interference.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been devised an extremely simple container for edible products, the body of which requires only a single forming blank and is assembled without the use of extraneous securing means. The described produce container is secured in its assembled position by causing a portion of its collar flange to lie in juxtaposition to the inner surface of its side while the remainder of the collar flange lies in juxtaposition to the outer surface of its side and a locking slit along the inner and outer positions of the collar flange engages a locking slot in the side in interlocking engagement.

Although the container illustrated and described shows the sides of the container longer than the ends and the interlocking slits and slots in the sides, it will be understood that such interlocking slits and slots may likewise be used on the shorter sides of the container. In such case the terms sides and ends will be reversed. As used herein, the portion of the container embodying the interlocking slits and slots will be designated as the sides of the container.

Since certain changes may be made in the above article, and different embodiments of the invention could be made Without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description (or shown in the accompanying drawings) shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An improved produce container comprising:

a bottom;

sides connected to said bottom;

locking slots disposed in said sides, said locking slots extending from the outer edge of said side inwardly at a divergent angle;

ends connected to said bottom;

end flaps connected to opposite side edges of said ends and disposed in juxtaposition to the inner surface of said sides;

a ledge panel connected to the upper edge of each said end and its end flaps and bent outwardly and substantially perpendicular thereto; folded collar flange connected to the outer edge of said ledge panel, a portion of said collar flange disposed in juxtaposition to the inner surface of said side between said end flap and said side and the remainder of said collar flange disposed in juxtaposition to the outer surface of said side whereby a portion of said side is disposed between the outer surface of said end flap and the inner surface of said collar flange; and locking slits disposed in said collar flange in complernentary interlocking engagement with said locking slots in said sides, said locking slit in said collar flange located adjacent the portion of said collar flange disposed in juxtaposition to the inner surface of said side and each of said flange slits terminating at a point spaced from the horizontal fold line of said flange.

2. An improved produce container comprising:

a bottom;

sides connected to said bottom;

locking slots disposed in said sides at divergent angles to each other;

ends connected to said bottom;

end flaps connected to opposite side edges of said ends and disposed in juxtaposition to the inner surface of said sides;

a folded collar flange connected along the outer edge of each said end and its end flaps, a portion of said collar flange disposed in juxtaposition to the inner surface of a said side and the remainder of said collar flange disposed in juxtaposition to the outer surface of said side; and

locking slits disposed in said collar flange located substantially along the inner and outer juxtapositional dividing line between said collar flange and said side, said slits being adapted for complementary interlocking engagement with said locking slots in said sides and each of said flange slits terminating at a point spaced from the horizontal fold line of said flange. References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,246,830 4/1966 Smith 22932 3,342,401 9/1967 Kitchell 229-35 'DAVID M. BOCKEN'EK, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 229-34, 35 

